Indians clear Soo Choo for play

The Cleveland Indians say the sore left arm of outfielder Shin-Soo Choo is a non-issue.

Soo Choo was the designated hitter in last week’s first round for his native South Korea at the World Baseball Classic, and has been cleared to play in the second round at San Diego’s Petco Park, where South Korea plays this Sunday.

The decision was made 24 hours after Soo Choo was evaluated by Indians’ medical personnel at the team’s development complex in Goodyear, Ariz.

The South Korean squad was in Goodyear after Soo Choo recently expressed soreness in his left triceps, just above his surgically repaired elbow.

We brought him in and did a full exam, and everything went well, general manager Mark Shapiro said on the Indians’ Web site. He’s doing fine. Obviously, it was an uneasy feeling for us with him being in a different continent and not feeling 100 percent. We asked him to be entirely honest with us while he was (in Tokyo).